The Locket
by 21sparkles
Summary: Harry Potter has always seemed to be plagued with a never-ending parade of bad luck. He has accepted the fact that he must cater to the Dursley's every wish. He just needs to make it through the summer, then he can return to Hogwarts for his third year. Things start to get strange after Petunia loses something though. An object. Harry begins to wonder what secrets she's keeping.
1. Chapter 1

Pressing his hand to the window, the boy wiped the condensation off. It was one of those summers that was so hot, even the windows were sweating. The lawns that were once the pride and joy of Privet Drive lay parched and yellow. The flowers that were still alive lilted sadly in their neat little rows. The miserable silence that choked the air was suddenly broken by a voice. Barely flinching, Harry recognized the familiar screech of his Aunt.

"Boy! Get in here this instant!" Sighing, he turned away from the window and went to answer her squawking command. Entering the kitchen, Harry noticed fairly quickly that something was off. The room was, quite honestly, a mess. Pots and pans lay scattered unevenly across the room and every drawer was completely emptied. Gingerly, he stepped over the wreckage caused by whatever tornado had clearly swept the room. Then, he saw her. In the center of it all, was Petunia Dursley. She was on her hands and knees, frantically upturning various items. Her eyes were bloodshot and she kept running her fingers through her hair nervously. Realizing that she hadn't seen him yet, Harry shot a hopeful glance at the doorway and wondered if there was still enough time for him to escape. Petunia turned her head slightly though, and it was too late. He would have no such luck today it seemed. Narrowing her eyes, she stood up.

"You took it!" A vicious edge lined her voice and hatred dripped off of every word.

"I didn't take it. I don't even know what was stolen!" Harry took one look at Petunia's expression and came to the conclusion that it didn't matter whether he had taken whatever was lost. She would blame him for it regardless. He didn't get to defend himself. And that was that. Harry quietly resolved to keep his mouth shut. If he spoke, the punishment would undoubtedly only get worse. He just needed to stay calm. Calm. Think happy thoughts. He would remain submissive to her unfair justice. It was the only way. If he lashed out he wouldn't get to return to Hogwarts, the one place that actually felt like home. Hogwarts _was_ his home. He was going into his third year and he couldn't let a stupid mistake mess everything up. Taking a deep breath, Harry closed his mouth.

"Don't play dumb Potter! You know exactly what I'm talking about. Where is it?!" Her eyes burned into his skull with a growing animosity. Desperately, she began searching again. Whatever had been taken, it was clearly important to her.

"Did you take it?" She asked Harry again. Biting his tongue, Harry gently shook his head.

"Liar." Her tone was cold. Things were about to get ruthless. Harry gulped as she lunged at him. Grabbing him by the shirt collar Petunia pulled him towards her, knocking Harry's glasses askew. Although she appeared frail, Petunia was much stronger than she looked.

"You don't know what you've started. We both know you can't use magic. You'll get kicked out of your precious little school. I know you stole it and I know you'll crack eventually. You're a weak and pathetic little freak. Just like your mother." Laughing wickedly Petunia dropped Harry. Falling to the floor, Harry rubbed his neck and patted around for his glasses. Thankfully, they weren't broken.

"I want you to scrub every inch of this place until it's spotless. I want every speck of dust gone." Petunia grinned.

"I don't understand how that's any different from every other day of my life." Harry mumbled.

"You'll start now." Petunia's wrath had begun. She would make him work until his bones ached. Making Harry's life even more miserable than it already was became her sole purpose. It was a lofty goal. Petunia was determined to succeed though.

Harry worked all day. Every day. Cooking, vacuuming, watering every inch of dead grass on the lawn, dusting, and everything else imaginable. It was so much worse than usual. She had him on overload. His muscles begged him to quit. He struggled to keep his eyes open. It couldn't go on forever. Could it?

As time went by, she became more desperate for him to give it back to her. Her military disposition was starting to fade and panic began to set in.

"Please. I know you have it. Harry please. Give it back. Where have you hidden it?" She had long given up hiding her worry.

"What have I taken?" Harry pleaded with her. She was insane, he told her. He hadn't taken anything.

It went on all summer. Nothing changed though. Finally, the day Harry was to leave for Hogwarts arrived. He was not going to let Petunia trap him. He would make it to Hogwarts.

Harry packed his bags quietly. There was no way he was getting out easy. He knew that. Any other year the Dursley's practically celebrated Harry's depart. This year however, as long as Aunt Petunia was convinced he had taken whatever she was looking for, it would be a struggle. That morning he woke up at 3 am. As quietly as possible, he hauled his trunk around the corner and unlatched the window. Shoving everything outside, he peered over his shoulder to make sure no one else had gotten up. Tiptoeing towards the door he carefully unlocked each of the many bolts on the front door. He had made it! Stepping outside, he suddenly fell flat on his face. An alarm went off and he realized it must have been a tripwire. Hearing the blood pounding in his ears he regained his senses, grabbed his stuff, and began running.

"No! Get back here! Now! You stupid, insolent, rotten, boy! You arrogant thief! You don't know what you done…" He could faintly hear Petunia's mad caterwauling screams slowly fading into the distance.

Harry had made it to the bus stop. He sat in the early morning dusk on a bench smiling with satisfaction. Leaning back, he arched his back and let out a yawn. Gently, he pulled a small, silver, oval shaped object out of his pocket. Turning it over in his hand, he thoughtfully ran his finger over it. It appeared to be a locket of sorts. Harry opened it, revealing a milky, clear liquid, with little blue streaks swimming in it. Harry knew exactly what it was and why Petunia kept it hidden. It was Lily Potter's Pensieve. Her memories. Snapping the little oval shaped locket shut, Harry looked up. The bus had arrived.


	2. Chapter 2

There he was again, staring out a window. This time, Harry was watching the suburban empire from which he had narrowly escaped, fly past in a dizzying blur. The bus was small and oddly smelled of raisins, but he was on his way. He had managed to elude Petunia's hawk-like watch on him and prevail against all odds. In his hand, he still tightly clutched the locket, half afraid it would suddenly slip through his fingers. Quite honestly, it wouldn't surprise him if it did. In the wizarding world, _anything_ was possible. Which was sometimes an unprecedented problem. Through the hexes and curses, riddles and potions, it could be hard to know what to believe. Harry was so sick of being lied to. It was an infuriating game of tag and chase and every time he was close to answers, things would get blurry again. Allowing his mind to wander, Harry thought back to the end of his second year. The satisfaction and relief at having defeated the Basilisk and Voldemort (at least for the time being anyway). He had felt as if the secrets were over. How wrong he had been. Harry shut his eyes and remembered the beginning of the summer, and how it had all began.

It had been a typical evening with the Dursley's. Harry had managed to salvage a few scraps of the chicken dinner _he_ had made, and retreat to the kitchen counter to eat in peace. Unfortunately, Harry could still hear every word uttered in their unbearable conversation. Dudley sloppily chomped away, grunting every now and again in answer to his parents.

"So Diddles, dear, how was your day?" Petunia asked dotingly. _Grunt_.

"Oh, how lovely!" She squeaked. _Chomp. Slurp._

"Dudley. My boy, I was thinking you and I could go see that wrestling match next week. What do you think?" Vernon's deep rumble was met with the same answer. _Grunt._ It went on for about another ten minutes or so until Petunia called Harry in to do the dishes. Rubbing his already raw hands, Harry meticulously scrubbed each plate with a soapy sponge. Hurriedly, he dried everything and prepared to quietly slip away to his room, the cupboard under the stairs. Vernon had slumped off to the TV and Dudley was already asleep. Strangely though, Petunia was still sitting at the table. Almost expectantly, like she was waiting for something. Noticing Harry still standing there, she gave him a nasty glare.

"What are you still doing here, boy?" The malice in her tone was evident, as always. Harry sighed and left.

Though he tried to ignore it, Harry couldn't help but remain curious over Petunia's peculiar anxiety. Lying awake in bed, he listened. The house was quiet for the longest time, aside from the low hum of the television. Then, Harry heard the phone ring. Petunia must've jumped up suddenly, because he heard her chair scrape against the floor.

Petunia hissed into the phone urgently. Swiftly slinking out of bed, Harry carefully opened his door. Edging along the hallway, he moved until Petunia's voice was just around the corner.

"Yes. I understand. Meet me by the Lambury and Rosewood intersection." Casting a wary glance back, Petunia put the phone on the hook and slipped out the door. Waiting several moments for the sound of her footsteps to leave the porch, Harry hurriedly followed suit. Slinking through the shadows, Harry remained unnoticed. The night air was cool and a light breeze wafted by, blowing his jet black hair aside, revealing a scar. A scar, so much a part of him, and yet something he knew so little about.

Harry was creeping through the hydrangea bushes in the neighbor's yard when, without warning, Petunia stopped. She had halted under a lamp post and stood there awkwardly for a moment. Abruptly, there was a flash and a figure appeared next to Petunia. Struggling, Harry tried to readjust himself so that he could see the second person. Unfortunately, the mailbox blocked his line of view, and the mysterious figure remained an anonymous shadow.

"Do you have it?" Petunia's voice was hushed and she looked apprehensive for whatever she was about to receive.

"Yes. The pensieve will remain with you. Lily's memories cannot be shared." The hidden person had a stern quality to her voice.

"I don't want to be a part of this. Why can't someone else keep it?" Petunia shrunk in on herself. She almost looked afraid.

"I think you already know the answer to that." Handing her a small box wrapped in brown paper, the person's shadow spontaneously appeared to shrink. Then, as suddenly as she had appeared, she was gone.

His head reeling and his face pale, Harry trailed after Petunia back to the house. Crouching by the window, he watched her carefully place the package in the highest cabinet where she hoped it would remain obscured from unwanted eyes.

As soon as she was out of sight, Harry retrieved the small package from it's hiding place. Returning to his room, Harry opened the box. In it, was the locket. The locket that could answer everything, without holding back. Unlatching it, Harry ever so slightly grazed the misty substance within it with his finger. Almost instantaneously, Harry's surroundings changed.

Harry stood several feet away from the memory of her. _Her_ memory. Lily's crimson red hair blew across her face and Harry turned to see what she was looking at. Swirling rapidly in all directions, was a black, powdery, dust-like substance. It shifted and moved like one being. Lily gazed upon the strange force with a fascinated wonder and slowly brought her hand up to it.

Hedwig's restless squawk brought Harry back to reality.

"Shhh, girl. We're almost there." He calmly stroked her feathers through the narrow bars of the cage. Defiantly turning her head, Hedwig gave an indignant chirp.

"Fine. Be that way." Harry laughed, rolling his eyes. The bus had now surpassed the endless row of houses and reached the city. King's Cross Station couldn't be more than a couple miles away. As the grumbling of the bus roared to an abrupt halt, he collected his things. An odd sight Harry must've been to passing Muggles, a scraggly thirteen year old boy, carrying an enormous trunk and an owl. Moving through the shifting crowd of people, Harry made his way to King's Cross Station. The ceiling was an enormous arch covered by little glass tiles. It was a mass collection of squares assembled together to make a masterpiece. The trains thundered along the tracks, and, in the clamor of it all, Harry had to stifle a laugh, as it reminded him way too much of Uncle Vernon's snoring. Recovering, he moved through the crowds and towards Platform 9 and 3/4. Stepping back, he ran with full force at the wall. The yellow bricks flickered slightly and Harry vanished.

Reemerging on the other side of the wall, he smiled. Witches and wizards were quickly moving to and fro, and among them all, Harry recognized the two things he had missed most about the magical world. Ron and Hermione. Sprinting towards them, Harry's grin stretched all the way up to his ears.

"Harry!" Hermione and Ron cried almost in unison. Running at each other, they all fell into a heap and burst out laughing. Ron's vivid red hair was a trademark trait of the Weasley's and made it easy to spot him in a mob of people. He had gotten visibly taller over the summer. Hermione's bushy brown hair was wild as ever, and the stack of books she was carrying came crashing down with her when she fell.

"Ow. Hermione, are you honestly going to need all those?" Ron grumbled, gesturing to the half a dozen books that had been in her arms.

"As a matter a fact, I am going to need them all. If you weren't so pigheaded you'd understand." Hermione rolled her eyes. Harry just smirked with fond amusement at their bickering. It was good to be back. However, no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, lingering in the back of his mind, was the memory he had seen in Lily's pensieve. It sat in the shadows, waiting. At the thought of it, he brought his hand up to his forehead. Harry's scar had begun to hurt.


	3. Chapter 3

The three of them made their way down the aisle of the train, searching for an empty cabin. Harry practically collapsed into his seat as they finally settled down. The agonizing burning through his scar was getting worse and worse. The train lurched forward in a sudden rush and an eerie silence began slowly engulfing the room. Harry pressed his hand to his forehead in a desperate attempt to calm the searing pain still splintering his skin. Hermione and Ron exchanged worried expressions.

"Look mate, what's wrong? You haven't said anything since we got on. I'm starting to get worried." Ron gave Harry a nervous laugh and clenched his hands together restlessly. Harry averted their stares and ducked his head.

"Everything is fine. Okay? Okay." He spoke too quickly and it was extremely obvious that he wasn't telling them the truth. Hermione gave him a pointed look and added,

"Harry, come off it. I know that you're lying. What's happening?" Harry flashed back to the shifting black dust in his mother's memory. Harry briefly went over the pros and cons of letting his friends know the truth. The pros pretty much seemed to outweigh the cons in almost every aspect. Sighing, Harry contemplated how to explain the locket and what it contained. His thoughts were interrupted however, as someone rapped lightly on the window of their room.

"Anything off the trolley, dears? Fresh candies and sweet delights. I have pumpkin pasties, chocolate frogs, cauldron cakes, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, and much more." The woman running the cart wore her hair in a crown braid atop her head which had been gracefully woven with care. She had soft blue eyes that seemed to always be smiling and a rather plump figure. Distracted, Harry momentarily forgot about the pensieve. Ron's eyes were quickly widening with delight at the sight of food, while Hermione still seemed focused intently on the conversation they had been about to have.

"We'll take a little bit of everything." Ron gestured to the entire cart, his eyes indefinitely bigger than his stomach.

"Sure thing." The trolley witch began carefully selecting a little bit of each delicacy and treat. Abruptly, Harry brought his hand up to scar again. A shiver danced along his spine and a jolt of pain shot through his lightning scar again. Hermione saw Harry grimace and murmured,

"Harry, are you alright?" Harry shook his head and scrunched up his face.

"It's called an obscurus." The trolley woman interjected suddenly with a sly grin on her face. Her sweet complexion was gone, now replaced with something new. Something vicious.

"What's an obscurus?" Harry asked tentatively.

"The thing in Lily's memory. That's right. The thing you can't stop thinking about. That's right, I know." She smiled at the dumbfounded look on Harry's face. Ron and Hermione's heads swiveled back and forth, rather confused by the exchange happening in front of them.

"How do you.. why…what… who are you?" Harry struggled for words as he let her absurd statement sink in. Grinning wickedly, the trolley witch reached forward and pulled the locket from Harry's robe pocket. Harry fought to regain control of the locket but the trolley witch's grip was iron. She swiftly opened it and dipped her hand into the memories. She then pressed her finger to his scar. The room began to spin wildly, until Harry blacked out.

* * *

Blinking hesitantly, Harry took in his new surroundings. He was in a classroom. Yellow light filtered in through the tower window and he immediately recognized his mother. Her long red hair cascaded down over her shoulders and her vivid emerald eyes sparkled. She appeared to be about in her fourth year. She was sitting at a desk towards the middle left section of the room and looked quite anxious to leave for some reason. He waved his arms in front of the other students but received no reaction, so he concluded it was probably safe to presume that it was the same situation as the last time. Harry watched the rest of the class period curiously. It was a lesson drawn out on aconite and it's effects on the werewolf. Harry felt that the lesson had been a bit extensive and wondered how long it would last until, finally, the class was dismissed and Lily exited the room. A voice called over all the bustle and Lily spun around.

"Hey! Wait up!" A boy with greasy black hair and a thin frame called after her. Harry realized that he knew this boy. It was none other than Severus Snape. Harry shook his head. His mother and Snape were friends? He shuddered briefly at the thought and then proceeded to follow them down the corridor.

"Magical Herbs was so boring today." Lily sighed and then turned to grin at Snape.

"Anyway, did you find the book?" She hushed her voice slightly when asking this. Although the question itself was pretty inconspicuous, it didn't hurt to be careful. Snape nodded and they continued moving towards the library. Pushing the thick oaken doors open, they entered the colossal library. Twisting their way through the many shelves, Lily and Snape settled at a small, slightly hidden table back near the restricted section. Snape pulled out his wand and whispered so that he was nearly inaudible,

"Accio." A book came whizzing through the air, its pages fluttering as it landed on the table. Ancient Magical Entities was the title. Snape and Lily shared an apprehensive look for a moment and then began searching through the book for something. Eventually, Lily appeared to find what she was looking for and Harry bent down to see what her finger had landed on. Obscurial. Harry listened as his mother whisper-read the page aloud.

"An obscurial is a young witch or wizard who has developed a dark magical force within them. The last case of an obscurus was in 1926. It can be uncontrollable and violent, as it is the result of suppressed abilities…" Harry thought back to the memory of the obscurus he had seen. It didn't seem violent at all. Tuning back in to the scene unfolding before him Harry watched Snape grip Lily's hand as her face went pale.

"I don't understand. How can this be? Petunia isn't a witch." Harry's head hurt. Petunia was the obscurus. Harry watched the memory begin to spin again and allowed himself to be sucked out of the locket.

Harry rubbed his skull and looked up. He was lying on the seat lengthwise. Ron and Hermione jumped up seeing Harry back, the relief on their faces overwhelming. Sniffing, Harry reached for a piece of chocolate and sat up.

"What happened to the trolley witch?" Harry asked. Biting her lip, Hermione answered.

"She's gone Harry."

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

Petunia sat at the kitchen table contemplating what to do next. Her head rattled with incoherent thoughts that she struggled to put together. Harry Potter had escaped and was undoubtedly on his way to Hogwarts by now. So, the boy would finally learn the truth. With the locket in his possession there wasn't anything stopping him. The contempt for the people who had done this to her boiled within Petunia, threatening to burst. _Must stay calm… calm._ Chills wracked her body and she could feel it beginning. Breathing in deeply, a shudder crept up her spinal chord. Slowly, the wave subsided. She would be only be able to hold her nature at bay a little while longer. Bit by bit, her taking on obscurial form was becoming inevitable. She still remembered the day that it first happened. How the rage she'd felt had taken over her body and then suddenly that was all she was. Pure, concentrated anger. She had begun whirring through the air in tiny particles, a violent storm of fury coursing through her new form. She'd lost control and found herself rushing into an oblivion of darkness. Over the years she had learned to somewhat cope with it. I mean, hadn't she? She lead a normal life. She had _built_ herself a normal life, a barricade between herself and what was coming. At the thought of what was coming her fingers dissolved into the little particles. Squeezing her eyes shut tightly, her hand reconnected itself. _How had McGonagall gotten the locket anyway? It's a dangerous thing that should've been destroyed long ago. Lily was foolish enough to create it in the first place._ Petunia's thoughts spun inside her head. Disconnected ideas colliding and bouncing off one another all at once. Unfortunately, memories can't really be destroyed. Upon attempt at eradicating them, they find a way to live on.

* * *

Bellatrix let out an exasperated sigh. It pained her to have to give this task to someone she considered so insignificant. The trolley witch might perhaps prove herself useful though. She was after all, a long respected spy for the dark lord. And Bellatrix supposed she did send back valuable information on the boy from time to time. That didn't mean she wasn't wary of the trolley witch. Her loyalties would soon be tested and then it would be for Voldemort to judge. The arrogance of the many death eaters who fell into the shadows upon Voldemort's "death" enraged her. _She_ on the other hand, had remained loyal throughout times when others fell prey to their doubt. _She_ had suffered in Azkaban for Lord Voldemort because, against formidable odds, she knew he had survived. She would not remain submissive to their obvious failures as servants. She grinned as she envisioned painful deaths for those who she believed had failed. A sudden whooshing noise accompanied by a blurry figure coming into focus brought her attention back to reality.

"It has been done." The little trolley witch gave her a crooked toothed grin. Against her better judgement, Bellatrix couldn't help but admire her style. Posing as a sweet, innocent, old witch was hard to pull off. She pulled it off effortlessly.

"Well, seeing as you can't return to the train you will stay with us from now on." Bellatrix replied, not bothering to acknowledge the witch's success. The death eaters currently resided in a run down mansion hidden in several acres of wood. A disillusionment spell had been cast on the building to make it look run down and uninhabitable. Their system ran smoothly for the most part and small tasks were handed out by Bellatrix daily. It was like a teacher handing out assignments. Except, of course, for the fact that the equivalent of getting a bad grade would be actual death. Despite being the highest rank in the mansion, Bellatrix hated being forced to hide away from the action. She resented the idea of being thought of as a coward and incapable of carrying out his commands on her own. But her time was coming. Once Harry Potter learned of the secrets within the locket, he would come to understand his part. Minerva had no idea that the possession of the locket had passed through Voldemort's hands. The unimaginable power the obscurial held would help them greatly. However, certain things needed to be in order first. Harry Potter played a role no one but she and her master could possibly understand. He would be forced to coincide with Voldemort in the end. Then the Dark Lord's army would become unstoppable. Oh, it seemed way too easy. She cackled gleefully with frivolous joy just at the thought of it.

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	5. Chapter 5

Harry stood apprehensively in front of Hogwarts beside Ron and Hermione.

"Home." He uttered underneath his breath so that it was just barely inaudible.

"Hmmmm… I hope they serve kidney pie tonight." Ron thought aloud.

"All you ever think about is food! Honestly Ron." Hermione chided him like Mrs. Weasley would. Hermione then added in a more serious tone,

"We've got to figure out what the trolley witch wanted."

"Yeah, I know. I mean, why would she want Harry to know about Petunia being an obscur-"

"Ron! Lower your voice!" Harry interrupted with an agitated hiss.

"Sorry. Well, you know, about the thing." Ron finished hastily, shooting both Harry and Hermione an annoyed look. The trio stepped into the entrance hall of the castle, each one of them wrapped up in their own possible theories about the trolley witch and the locket. As they shuffled into the grand dining room, the third years all moved off towards their respective house tables. In the commotion, and in his distracted state, Harry stumbled sideways, crashing into a familiar face.

"Luna! I'm so sorry! You okay?" Harry's rushed apology spilled out of him awkwardly. Luna gave Harry a good natured laugh and answered,

"No worries! I can see you're distracted. The nargles are swimming in and out of your ears rather quickly."

"Yeah, I've just got a lot on my mind at the moment." Harry responded carefully realizing how obvious his worry must've been.

"Well anyways, don't worry about it, the knowledge you're looking for will find a way to come back to you. Things we've lost always have a funny way of coming back to us in the end." With that, Luna skipped off to the Ravenclaw table. Harry shook his head, still slightly flabbergasted. Strange, her conviction was so strong and Harry pondered over what she could possibly mean by that. Sliding into a seat at the Gryffindor table, Harry sat wedged between Dean Thomas and Fred Weasley. He watched as the procession of first years entered the room. They glanced at each house table fervently as their excitement grew. The sorting this year went by rather quickly and, suddenly, the boisterous laughter of the students that occupied the elegant dining quarters was hushed. The silence had started as a certain headmaster had stepped up to the podium. There was a twinkle in Albus Dumbledore's eyes and it was truly amazing that just by standing up, quiet reverence instantly followed.

"First, I'd like to welcome all of you back to Hogwarts. It is so good to see all of you again back for another year." Dumbledore smiled warmly at all of them and applause erupted from the students.

"Mr. Filch would like me to remind you that all of the Weasley twin products are hereby banned and that punishments _will_ be handed out to those who forget to comply with this rule." Fred and George snickered at this. It had undoubtedly been their goal to get their products banned, because this ironically made them in even higher demand. Poor Filch's plan had surely backfired.

"Also, no one is ever, under any circumstance, to enter the forbidden forest." Harry and Ron share a look at this, knowing that this rule was there for good reason. In their second year they had snuck into the forest to meet Aragog, Hagrid's old pet. It had ended with them being chased by hundreds of supersize spiders narrowly escaping in an exhausted, enchanted car.

"On that note, I say, let's eat." Dumbledore clapped his hands twice and piles upon piles of food magically appeared across the tables. The professors sat and the eating commenced. Starting with the entrees, everyone around Harry inhaled their dinner. The meal went by rather quickly and, before he knew it, Harry was stuffed to the brim and ready to pass out in the Gryffindor common room. Ron and Hermione both sat collapsed in comfy chairs opposite him.

"So, Harry, I am so sorry for keeping this from you but I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. And I didn't want to scare you." Hermione bit her lip hesitantly as Ron and Harry both turned towards her with raised eyebrows.

"I saw something. On the train, I mean. It was the trolley witch. There was a mark on her forearm." Hermione looked expectantly at the two of them but all they offered her were dazed expressions.

"The _dark mark_." Hermione explained through gritted teeth.

"So, she was a death eater. Does that mean Voldemort," Harry gulped, "does that mean he's alive?"

"Harry this is bad. Really bad. Do you think we should tell someone?" Ron added anxiously.

"Who would believe me if I told them that the sweet trolley witch is a death eater?" Harry asked, his uncertainty quite obvious.

"I know someone who would. Harry, Dumbledore would believe you." Hermione answered firmly.

Harry walked toward the Dumbledore's office entrance slowly. He was still unsure of what he should say. Harry wasn't positive he wanted to tell Dumbledore about the obscurus and the locket. Harry knew that it would relieve him of the great burden of shouldering this powerful knowledge but he wasn't sure if it was the right time. Harry reached into his pocket and rubbed the locket with his fingers as if searching for some consolation within the small metal surface. The gargoyle that was the key to the stairs seemed to pierce Harry's eye sockets, as if telling him that Dumbledore needed to know the whole truth.

"Lemon Drop." Upon the password the secret stairway revealed itself and Harry began walking up the steps.

* * *

The trolley witch stared across the room blankly. Her accommodations didn't really suit her tastes and the bed was creaky. It didn't matter though. All that mattered was the dark lord's wish being fulfilled. She had allowed an empty feeling to fill herself over time, creating a hollow shell of a woman. She had once been a girl. A girl known by the name of Maisie. Maisie Evans to be more precise. That was a long time ago and she hardly felt like that girl anymore. Every ounce of her being had gone rotten. Maisie Evans had long since expired. She walked over to the mirror in the corner of her bare room. She was the sister erased from existence. The one no one knew about. Not even whispers or rumors. Just simply gone. Many years ago she had disguised her outward appearance and posed the common candy cart witch. This spell was nothing like a polyjuice potion though. This spell was much darker and complicated. It was set to last twenty years, and then Maisie would return to her original form. It had always been funny to her that nobody had ever seemed to notice a difference in the candy lady on the Hogwarts express. Now, gazing upon herself in the mirror she can she see her real body. She was a combination of her two sisters. She shared Lily's eyes but had Petunia's bone structure. Scrutinizing her appearance she almost laughed. If only they knew of the wretchedness within her. Ah, well, she was about to be late for a call. Positioning her body in front of the rustic fireplace, she began the short incantation. A sudden burst of flames appeared and, in the fire, a face became visible.

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	6. Chapter 6

Maisie Evans pressed her fingers to her temples and massaged her skin. It was a pointless attempt at ridding herself of the awful headache waging war within her. The stress of the job did take it's toll sometimes. The pounding within her head was substantial enough proof of that. Her brief chat with her inside source had only confirmed her concerns. The boy needed to be watched carefully because unless he perceived things the right way, her plans would be ruined. _His_ plans would be ruined. The dark lord could not afford another mishap. Things needed to go the _exactly_ the way she had them planned.

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat in a circle. Harry placed the locket in the center of their circle and unlatched it. The swirling blue contents inside it were mesmerizing to the beholder.

"Okay. On the count of three. One. Two. Three." With that, the group linked arms and Hermione dipped her finger into the locket. Almost instantaneously, they were whisked away into Lily's memories.

* * *

The hooded figure slid gracefully between the trees, barely making a sound. The thick grove overhead let only little slits of sunlight through, making it a perfect place to remain obscure from prying eyes. Moving hastily, her wand was gripped tightly.

Nearby, Harry, Ron, and Hermione watch two mysterious figures making their way through the woods. Upon a closer look they appeared to be kids, not more than fifteen. The boy had a dark mob of shaggy hair and a hooked nose. Although his eyes were dark, they held a mysterious laughter. The girl beside him had long red hair with sparkling emerald eyes that complimented the light dusting of freckles along the bridge of her nose wonderfully. They quickly recognized them as Lily and Snape. Hermione and Ron shot Harry a curious look at the sight of Severus and Lily together.

"Come on!" Severus tugged Lily's arm playfully as they made their way through the thick bramble.

"Look, I'm not sure about this. Honestly Severus, there are reasons it's called the forbidden forest. Can't we go back to the castle now?" Lily bright green eyes shifted nervously to and fro. Severus pressed his lips against hers gently and squeezed her hand. Harry looked back and forth between the two of them in shock while Ron fought a strong urge to laugh. Hermione only studied the exchange curiously. Her analyzation of the situation was unnerving to Harry.

"We're almost there." Severus gave her such a genuine look that Lily finally caved.

"Okay… fine. Show me what you found." She sighed rolling her eyes and suppressing a laugh. Pushing forward they eventually found a clearing.

"This is it." Severus gestured to the paltry glade. Everything seemed to be held at a standstill and a shiver danced along her spine. The ferns planted along the edge of the clearing formed a perfect circle. Within it were all sorts of wild flowers and plants. Scrutinizing it curiously, Lily stepped into the circle pulling Severus along with her. A gust of wind suddenly picked up. The strange breeze tugged on the fragile plants, until suddenly, they were pulled up by their roots and being carried about in all directions by the wind.

"Severus. Where are we?" Lily whispered faintly as her eyes widened. A powerful sense of magic lingered in the air.

"I don't really know. Something is peculiar about it all though, isn't it?" Severus glanced around anxiously, completely unaware of what Lily was seeing.

"It wasn't like this last time. It feels wrong." A bead of cold sweat trickled down Severus's forehead. "Lily, we need to leave. Now."

"Why, do you see that?" Lily inquired abruptly. Her voice sounded distant and unconnected.

"See what? Lily, I don't see anything." Panic was evidently laced in his voice now.

Lily knelt down peering with wonder at the whimsical flower in the center of the circle. The petals were a light violet color and looked extremely delicate. Severus shakily pulled his wand out of his robes and went about spinning around searching for something to fight.

"Lily!" Severus began holler, but to no avail. Her transfixed stare remained, containing the same vague expression. Her slim, ivory finger reached down to touch the swirling center of the flower. It was a milky blue color and it churned restlessly. Her finger grazed the surface of the flower. Silence. And then screaming. Lily's blood curdling screams.

The hooded person swiftly changed directions. She moved more hurriedly now. The girl's scream reverberated throughout the woods. All that mattered now was that she was there in time.

Pushing Severus aside, Maisie knelt to the ground and pressed her hand to Lily's forehead. A scorching fever had broken out and little beads of sweat rolled across her face.

"Who are you?" Severus asked fiercely.

"My name is Maisie. Look, it's important that we get Lily back to the castle and to Madam Pomfrey. She'll know what to do." Maisie urgently gestured to Lily without a moment of hesitation. There was no time to wring their hands, something had to be done quick. Regaining his composure, Severus helped carry Lily back to the castle.

They lay Lily down on the hospital wing bed and began pacing back and forth. Madam Pomfrey hurriedly poured a strange looking liquid into Lily's mouth and stepped back, looking at Lily's limp body expectantly. Within seconds, Lily sat up. Her eyes were bulging out of her skull and her skin looked unnaturally pale. Swiveling her head around frantically until her gaze caught sight of Maisie Evans.

"Hello sister." Maisie smirked now at the sight of Lily's horrorstruck expression.

"You… you vile creature! How dare you! Why are you here!? After what you did to Petunia!?" Lily seething rage encompassed the room.

"Well, I think that's enough sisterly love for me today. You're welcome by the way, for, you know, saving your life. Toodles!" With that, Maisie Evans turned away and the trio watching the story unfold witnessed a tear rolling down her face. A weakness she'd never let them see. No, this pain she would squash and conceal in any and every way possible. With that, Maisie Evans disapparated.

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 **Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed please R &R! :)**


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